Beach Vacation 2010

Hi all!

I'm a bit behind on my vacation post.

Once we got home I hit the ground running.

Now that I'm ready to slow down a bit,

I thought I'd share some of our vacation fun.

Since we were all ready to get our vacation started,

we headed out early.

Early is in, 

we were hitting up our local Redbox 

for movie rentals at 4:52 AM.

Here are the kids still sporting their jammy tales.

Dontcha' just love that packed out car? 

This was our first beach vacation with friends.

We had a wonderful time

and enjoyed several new adventures.

Here are a few of our favorite things...

We'll start with the first night when I thought 

it was a good idea to set up the Wii in the living room.

Rock Band at the beach anyone?!

This set up was promptly moved to the 

kids' room, the following day.

How about a nice henna tattoo?

The three little people all loved their ink!

Swimming with friends is great,

but swimming with friends at the beach is even better. 

Probably not the boys' favorite part of vacation,

but still a necessary piece.

Joseph working on his English summer reading.

James taking his daily afternoon "rest". 

 Daddy doing a little beach watching.

Here are those Hinson boys after a 

delicious dinner at Tacky Jack's.

I'd say they're being true to form,

wacky!

One of the fellas' treasured memories 

is saltwater fishing at Alabama Point.

The fish were really biting this year.

So much so that Andy's

first catch snapped his rod in half.

Luckily it was no biggie for my veteran fishermen,

they just kept on casting!

After James had enough of this,

he rode back to the condo with me 

for a quick dip in the pool to cool off.

Followed by a shower, dry clothes

and a nap, err make that beach watching.

One of the fellas' new treats was a boys only trip

to watch the Blue Angels fly.

My peeps thought it was the coolest!

While the boys were having their time,

the girls snuck off for a day of shopping.

We had a blast and came home with some incredible deals.

Needless to say all the children now have 

back to school clothes.

Of course Emily Margaret got her share of prizes too.

These were the adorable deals I just couldn't resist.

Her first yoga pants set, 

an I <3 USA shirt and tiara

and my fav, a yellow tutu bathing suit. :D

I'm praying that yellow suit makes 

it's debut appearance on our next summer vacation!

The Hangout was a first time dinner treat for us.

While the kids waited on dinner 

they had a blast in the foam machine.

How precious is this trio?

But don't be fooled by those smiling faces.

There's a wild-child hiding behind every grin!

Here are our vacation cohorts.

Aren't they a cute couple?

Ours is a rare friendship that is such a blessing.

Finally, I want to say thanks to these great guys.

Joseph, I couldn't have done it without you.

You are growing into such a wonderful young man

that I am proud to call my son.

Thank you for all your hard work,

before, during and after our vacation.

Andy, without you vacation wouldn't be a year long event.

Thank you so much for all you do for our family.

You provide the very best for us 

and still manage to share your passions and time.

I think we enjoy our beach vacation 

so much because for one week 

it's all Daddy, all the time.

Thanks prince charming, I love you!

Hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our beach vacation.

We are already planning what next year holds! :)

Summer Vacation, Mama Catches a Big One!

Hi everyone and happy Wednesday!
We're still vacationing at the beach... HOORAY!
Today we spent the morning fishing with Boompa and Gigi.

If you remember we fished on Monday and I caught NOTHING.
Except a pity fish that my Dad let me reel in for him.
Luckily enough for me I was able to sweet talk Andy into a giving me a lesson.

Because in all honesty, I don't like to do things I'm not good at.
The result you ask?
I kicked tail at fishing!
Oh yes I did catch AT LEAST 7 or 8 fish!!!
Here's a pic of my fishy friend cheesing for the camera.

Joseph also caught his share of fish.
He actually caught our largest fish... CONGRATS SON!

After our fishing trip the boys rewarded me with a trip to Target! ;>
I bought a super cute knit dress that is so comfy.
James shows off his bargain... a Tech Deck and ramp for $4.98!

Once we had our baths and our bellies were full it was time for a rest.

To top off our day we spent the afternoon swimming.

Fun times, fun times!
Until tomorrow...
God's blessings,
Sarah :D

Summer Vacation, My Beach Boys

Hi everyone!
Today we enjoyed a day in the sun.
We started out the morning with a walk on the beach.

I plan to frame this pic of my beach boys.
I needed a print of the beach for my bedroom redesign.
I just couldn't resist having the boys in it too!

Joseph enjoyed catching muscles and watching them dig their way back into the sand.

And James? Well, he just enjoyed being James!


After finding shells and playing in the ocean, it was time to head back.


The boys cooled off in the pool.




Mama cooled off while reading Real Simple magazine.
Ah, the good life! ;>


Later this afternoon we rode bikes and stopped off for ice-cream again.
Once we had a good sugar rush going we were back to bikin'!
Until... until James, aka Tear It Up Hinson, lost a bolt... and a fender.
No worries, Joseph and Daddy would come to the rescue soon!

So what's a kid to do until help arrives?
Target practice of course!

Look at these cute faces waiting for help!

Oh wait, here's our rescue squad now...

Within a few minutes they had us on the road again.


Tomorrow we're suppose to go fishing, again.
Until then...
God's blessings!
Sarah :D

Happy Not Me Monday, Vacation Edition

Hey and welcome to the Not Me Monday Vacation Edition!
Today is the day where anything that can go a little crazy, during your vacation, will.
Our morning activity for today was saltwater fishing at The Point.
The point is located over by the Alabama State Park and pier.
We headed out around 7am, a little behind schedule.
Since we were running late we decided to substitute our scheduled breakfast of cinnamon toast, for Burger King's drive-thru.
Once we got closer it was time to stop for bait and fishing license.
We picked up our bait and t-shirts for the boys.

When we tried to buy our license we found out Walmart was the closest place that sold them.
Uh, no way were we busting a trip to Walmart!
Our option?
A 1-800 number that allowed us to call in our license purchase.
Worth every penny of the additional $3.00 per license they charge you for using their phone option!
As I was finishing up my phone call, I glanced out the window, only to gasp as I saw this...

Which was most certainly NOT the BIGGEST grasshopper ever!!!

Although we started out slow, the boys caught the hang of things quickly.
Andy caught the most fish, but Joseph wasn't far behind him.



And James, well he caught a few himself.
James got the dirtiest bait award.
Because he DID NOT drag his line and bait through the dirt as he walked over to his fishing spot!

I came in last for a total of ZERO fish caught.
Oh, no worries, my dad did give me a "pity fish".
I named it a pity fish because he felt bad that I hadn't caught any fish on my own.
SO, when he felt a bite he gave me the rod to reel it in.

No I DID NOT pose for this pic just like I caught this all by myself!

Here's one of the fish the boys' caught...

NO we DID NOT catch the ugliest fish known to man!

Wondering what we did with all that leftover squid we were using for bait??
Boompa finished it off for us...

JUST KIDDING!!! ;>

God's blessings, and Happy Not Me Monday!

Summer Vacation, A Great Beginning

As you know, the Hinson family beach vacation is always in July.
This year's vacation started off with a little detour.
We drove most of the way down and then spent the night in Daphne, AL.
Andy treated us to a delicious dinner at the Blue Gill.

The boys were starving after a long car trip!



After lunch we checked into our hotel.
We took a little time to rest.
Andy looks like he's in pain... I think he was just r-e-a-l-l-y tired.


Our adventure for the evening was bike riding in Fairhope, AL.
Ok, I can't lie... I thought I'd just walked into a Thomas Kincade painting.
Honestly, what a BEAUTIFUL town!
We rode bikes on a trail that overlooked the bay.






Of course even if there's a trail, this boy will choose to go off road!



Joseph and James were certain they could catch a tiny fish.
We actually let them try, good clean fun, right?!


The clouds looming overhead promised rain so we loaded up the bikes.
But not before checking out this fountain.





Last, but certainly not least we took a walk down the pier.
It was already starting to rain, but Andy said he didn't think I'd melt.
Whatever Andy, you know I'm the sweetest thang living in our house! ;>
As we got farther down the pier I was shocked at the amount of people fishing.
Men throwing out nets, and all kinds of people with rods and reels.
We stopped at the end, and sat watching the fishermen and women.
It was amazing to see the number of fish they caught.
We were like their groupies, cheering them on!
James was obsessed with holding one of the fish.
So when one of the men caught a small fish, he gave it to James.
Here's a clip...
Sorry it's kinda grainy, I took it with my cell phone.
I have to say that our pier walk brought the most unexpected fun!

Thanks Andy for our wonderful vacation.
Thank you Fairhope for your story book beauty.
Thank you boys, for the joy you bring us.
Most of all, thank you Lord for all of these blessings and more!

Until tomorrow's edition,
Sarah :D